(This would occur after Envoy's opening posts. Just wanted to get this up here to keep things moving.)
Offer Your SoulRegardless of how or when you entered the lively town of Heartlia, you instantly notice the abundance of posters, plastered onto every wall, corner, and even tied with a rope around a random child’s waist. Poor kid. Didn’t even notice who was looping the rope around him. Anyways, that’s enough sympathy for an astigmatic youth. Back to the story. You all notice the crudely drawn posters, barely legible in their design. The contest would be held in the Capitol itself, the central hub which outsiders are barely given entrance. Some say that the citizens there eat diamonds and poop gold. Other say they’re a bunch of cunning swine, completely refusing to commend guilds for their constant protection of the city. Whatever people say, it’s unknown territory to the satellite villages. So, what shall you do? Shall you uptake the two week journey, and possible die in the contest itself? Or will you sit on your rear and image yourself consuming jewelry out of despair? The choice lies in your hands alone.
As if on cue by the youthful redhead, Hite’s ears picked up the familiar thumps of somebody stirring overhead. Just as quickly, the footsteps proceeded downstairs and into the kitchen, belonging to no other than his other guildmate. The doll was serenaded by the beverages Hite had concocted, and gave the boy a quick nod. His face lit up as he gave a response,
”Good morning, Airyl.” Although, his formal tone didn’t match his friendly expression. Airyl’s motherly instincts seemed to go into overdrive after they exchanged greetings. The doll set her eyes upon the pre-teen innocently sitting on the counter’s edge, insouciantly swinging her legs back and forth. Chances are she was imaging the cyan-haired boy in a maid’s outfit. But before she could go on a spree of envious thoughts, she willingly hopped off the counter and allowed Airyl to brush her hair. Hite smiled at the sight, comparing it to a heartwarming scene between mother and child.
He was definitely thankful they had found Airyl in that abandoned building. During the months prior, all of the tasks concerning Eth’s which would usually befall a parent were to be complete by Hite alone. Since his father wasn’t the best at the role, he had absolutely nothing to reference and barely skimmed by. Now caring for the girl was equally distributed between the two older members, but there have been countless times where Hite cried out to the doll for assistance. The three had been getting by pretty smoothly these past few months. They were all extremely versed in their own fields, whether it running a cafe, selling plants, or fending off the town from packs of low tier monsters; they ended up with a profit in the end. Of course they were all hard workers, and reaped the rewards they deserved. Hite simply had to hand it to the two, since they were both relatively young in their own spectrums. Regardless of age and experience, they were able to adapt to drastic changes of scenery and lifestyle. Now they were used to the daily grind.
Speaking of ordinary routines, Airyl's voice snapped Hiteikei out of his trance when she asked him what was on their agenda. The boy tapped his chin in thought and glanced up at the ceiling.
"Hmmmmmmmm..." His humming was obviously drawn out. It was an attempt to create some sort of comical effect, but the boy just ended up shrugging.
"Well, aside from the usual pastries and drinks we serve, there isn't much. We haven't received any new requests for plants as of recently. Neither has the mayor burst into our store, crying his eyes out and begging us to offer him our help. Nor have their been any crimes or monster attacks. Pretty much the normal routine. Setting tableware, jamming out food, shun old men who wish to sully our innocent, young heroine here." As he was about to tend to another coffee press, the image of the posters outside flashed in his mind. He instantly spun around on the ball of his foot and snapped his fingers, locking gazes with his comrades.
"Actually, there's something. Be right back." The boy blurted out before making his way for the door. He weaved himself through the table and eased open the door, then tugged the poster off of the window. Almost as soon as he had left, he returned with the paper in hand and placed it onto the counter. He glanced up at his comrades with an excited complexion, then returned his sight to the page.
"It's an advertisement issued by the Capitol's government. Whole lot of these posters covering the town. They were placed overnight, and the officials are nowhere to be seen." He stared at the picture more intensely, trying to make a deduction from the advert,
"It's a contest for guilds. A battle, if you would. We haven't done anything too eventful in the past month or so. I'm not saying we have to do this, but think of the result if we do find ourselves near or on top. We would definitely make a name for ourselves, thus bringing in more customers, which would further make Heartlia more traversed. I have faith enough faith in our abilities that we can come out with some form of achievement." Hite leaned back from the sheet, his entrepreneur way of thinking shining in full bloom. He glanced over at his comrades, who he wouldn't blame if they were suddenly taken aback by this sudden change of concept.
"It'll be nice to out of town for a bit. Besides, neither of you have ever gone to the Capitol, right? I've only gone there a few times with my old man. Wonderful place. Lots of delicious foods, it's like paradise. But, there are a decent amount of pompous elitists. But that's something we can overlook. We can bake something special, a limited time offer if we decide to depart. So, anyways, what do you both think?" He asked quizzically, cocking his head to the side as he awaited a response.
